Welcome to "Stay Strong" - a site devoted to sharing and inspiring "Strength" in others and in ourselves! Strength of Spirit, Strength of Mind, Strength of Soul and Strength of Body! PLEASE pass this site onto others in need of Strength and Inspiration!

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

"Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are."

- Anonymous

PLEASE do not take a single moment of this life for granted.

The good and the bad, the challenges and the joys, the struggles and the victories, the defeats and the triumphs- all of these are the ingredients for the perfect life on this earth!

They all add up and blend into what we call the story of our lives...

It sounds cliche no doubt, but it really is the journey that matters - not necessarily the destination! !

Do not rush to the ending just yet!!!

Savor each chapter, even the painful ones, because those too shall pass!!!!

And with whatever storm you are in today having passed, with the sun shining on us and the storm clouds having lifted and dissipated, we will emerge stronger, more grateful and understanding, and confident that we can handle ANYTHING life throws in our way!!

It is not easy to see the shore sometimes when we are fighting for our lives, but we MUST envision it and BELIEVE in it because relief and peace will eventually come to all of us!!

Embrace the challenges you are encountering with true Confidence and Hope, and have FAITH that all will be ok when the clouds lift and the seas subside!!

Because it all will....!!!!!

You are not in this battle alone!

Happy Thanksgiving to all and I wish you many blessings of Gratefulness and Joy for all we have been granted!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Today marks 3 years since Brendan left us on this earth and the void he left in the lives of all who knew him is still a gaping hole.

It is in the times of challenge and tension where we find that we most miss his steady counsel and no nonsense advice that somehow always seemed to prove to be tremendous insight and wise guidance.

Not having him here when his mom Grandma was sick and passed was another of those moments when you realized just the value of what has been lost to us all in his passing.

I take solace and some comfort in knowing that today he is smiling and laughing with his Mom and Dad, his brother, his niece, his uncles and some of his friends. And knowing Brendan, he has no doubt met and made friends with all of Heaven and EVERYONE up there knows who he is! ;)

I wrote a little piece back when he passed and it is attached below for those who never had the pleasure and amazing experience of meeting and knowing Brendan Thomas O'Toole.

I apologize for the length of it.

It does not come remotely close to doing justice to who he was and what he meant to his friends and loved ones but it was a shot at an impossible task to pull off.

We miss you every day Uncle B!

Give our love to all up there and keep smiling down on us!

Have a little extra stuffing and pie this Thursday - we will be thinking of you!

Sorry for such a long post, but you cannot write about someone like Brendan O'Toole in a few simple paragraphs. ;).

It may be best to read in installments if at all... Lol...

Wow!! What an emotional roller-coaster of a week to say the least.

Brendan's sudden and tragic departure from this earth hit me like a ton of bricks across the nose and although I loved and cared for Brendan, I could not lay claim to being as intimately close to him as obviously his immediate family and close friends were.

Still, the news of his death still reverberates into my very core. I am still besieged with feelings of profound sadness, regret, anger, confusion, helplessness, hopelessness, despair, hope, love, and inspiration!!

All at once at times, and independently during the day at other times. It is chaotic and surreal.

My feelings today are much like what having a deep conversation with Brendan brought forth in me, and many others it appears. It ran the gamut of emotions and as o believe his brother Tim remarked to the effect, a conversation with Brendan was so comprehensive, so intense, it left you exhausted but totally fulfilled. His energy could not be matched, his passion could not be surpassed! You never left a conversation with Bren wanting or needing more at that time.

But, sadly, we all surely want more now.

Spending time with Brendan was entertaining, amusing, and fun but above all, it was always educational.

His depth of knowledge on so many topics was dizzying and this encyclopedic intellect, combined with his raw passion and his pure love of living made for a rare, unique and tremendous human being and soul!

He touched so many lives, so many people, and truly helped people by saving lives.

He was trained as an EMT, but amazingly he saved more lives as a Pedicab transportation engineer and through his leadership and compassion displayed with his brethren at Midnight Madness, than he did in an ambulance.

He was truly doing God's work on the tough, mean streets of Manhattan on a daily basis and there are undoubtedly thousands of souls touched by his energy and compassion that we will never have the joy of hearing about.

And maybe that is for the best, at least it is the way Brendan would probably prefer it to be.

People who may or may not have even known his name but were surely, as all who met him were, swept up in the BTO vortex of positive energy and passion and inspiration as he yelled out their name, pumped his fist, stopped to chat and listen to them, or helped them with whatever they were doing.

The coffee or bagel guy, local shopkeepers, street vendors, politicians - no one was immune or escaped his humor, wit, and energy field! And no one forgot him!

Tireless, endless, passionate work helping others in need, not for the praise or glory, but because it was the right thing to do - and he just did it quietly, anonymously, and with nothing but the goal of making others' lives better.

Is there a better example of what my son Thomas said of his Uncle Brendan through sobs upon hearing how he was mistreated at the hospital when he crawled into the waiting room - "Brendan is like a modern day Jesus"... High praise from the mouth of babes.

And as we hear more and more from the people who worked and saw him on a daily basis, he truly was a modern day Jesus and Mother Teresa and Saint Theresa wrapped into one ball of love, passion, fury and energy!!!

He gave and gave and gave, helped ALL in need regardless of who they were or what they needed, all because of his tremendously huge heart and because he knew to do the right thing! He could not do otherwise!!

As long as I knew him, Brendan was always a "blow in and blow out" type of guy. He was always heading somewhere or just coming from something and despite this lifestyle, as Tiffany said, you never questioned his presence and his place in the family. You always knew he stood ready to jump to your assistance at the drop of a hat! He had all of our backs...continuously!

As he displayed with our niece Fallon when he would either sneak in or talk his way into the hospital after a night of work to stay overnight with her and Lizzy in those darkest hours of her illness - a steady rock of support and love in the toughest times was what we all came to know and expect of Brendan.

You did not need to see him daily to have 100% confidence that when someone - anyone - needed help or assistance or defense that Brendan would be the first on the scene, throwing the full brunt of his passion and compassion into the solution and leading the charge!

This was a given and an irrefutable fact.

I consider myself blessed to have known Brendan and to be a part of his family. As with the entire family, just being around them makes you a better human being.

One cannot help but be shown what it means to be a caring, giving, and passionate soul by living near and with every member of the O'Toole family. It is a privilege and a wonderful gift to be anywhere near their love and support network.

Brendan led that charge as well. As we heard from his co-workers and friends this week, his capacity for kindness and compassion was boundless and he was truly his father's son.

Listening to the stories from the people he helped ("Brendan truly saved my life") it was like deja vu all over again from his Dad, Tom O'Toole's, wake and funeral.

Brendan, your Dad would have been bursting with pride if he lived to see what you accomplished with your life, the enormous impact you had on people's lives, the unconditional love you showered on your son, Jonah, and the tireless work ethic you displayed on a daily basis. All without losing sight of what truly matters in life.

Any dad would be thrilled to hear his son describe what their dad meant to them as eloquently as Jonah did about his father, Brendan. It was an amazing and accurate tribute to a great man and summed up what made B so special....no judgments and unconditional love.

So as I attempt to go back to a semblance of normalcy and fight through the fog of emotions that his passing has caused in all of us, I reflect on what lessons we can take from Brendan's way too short life here on earth.

1. Never give up on anyone. He never did and as Jonah said, he would see what was special in you and work with you, regardless of your shortfalls.

2. There are second chances for everyone. No matter what path you start down, or how far we stray from "normal", there are always second and third and fourth chances to get to where we are destined to be. Brendan had amazing courage, willpower, and guts to do all he did in his 55 years and as my daughter Teaghan quoted, he lived 5 lives in his 55 years on this planet. His last 12 years especially were an example for everyone as to the way a real man conducts himself, for his family, his beloved, and his fellow human beings!! Brendan nailed it and then some!!

3. None of the crap we use to measure our worth as humans matters at all! You hear it consistently but does it ever really sink in? Who can look past societal norms and not let themselves be caught up on the chase for material wealth? "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his soul?" Brendan had the courage and heart to do just that!! He lived simply, with only a few material wants (his blue convertible) and understood exactly what should be valued, what the measure of a man truly is by the standards that really count, and showed us all how very off base we are in that regard! Few people including myself, even if I won the lottery, could ever be as rich as Brendan was and this lesson should be a wake up call to us all!

4. As his brother, Robert "Bruce" O'Toole sang so perfectly at the funeral, "Read, Read, Read, and help all those in need". Brendan did both of these things tirelessly and was brilliant! How often do we have the opportunity to help a fellow human and sadly do not do it for whatever reason and whatever excuse? B did not make excuses, he JUST DID IT! Each and every time. He WAS the Good Samaritan on this earth!! How much strength, courage and selflessness did this man possess? All in anonymity, all for the sole benefit of those who needed help. How can any of us ever measure up to Brendan's standard? To me, it is like the difference between a mole hill and Mt Everest!

5. Do not take anyone for granted. Life is so fleeting and short! If you have to say something to someone, SAY IT!! Show the love now, let them know you value them and this earth would not be the same without them! Do not wait!! Do not put it off until tomorrow. Do it today, because tonight it may be too late to say it!!

6. No regrets! There can be no regrets. We all screw up and make mistakes. Dwelling on regret gets us nowhere at all. Instead, learn from the mistakes and fix the problem. Teach others to do the same. Life is a bizarre trip, and the real rules of this game are questionable and up for debate. Follow your heart and soul and do the right thing, with others as the focal recipients of our actions, and you cannot go wrong! Brendan embodied this approach!

7. You never know what your actions, however small and seemingly insignificant, do to others. People derive such strength and inspiration from our words and actions, so do not be afraid to share your thoughts with others and lead by example above all!!

Brendan will live on in our hearts and I am certain he will be a guiding force for us all going forward from his perch in Heaven!

Listen for him, speak to him, and above all follow his lead and example as to what a successful life truly means!!!

To me, he was by far the richest and most successful man I have ever known and I would be lucky to be 1/100000th as successful as Uncle B!!!

We all would!!

And that is my goal now!!!

We miss you and love you, Brendan. Fortunately for us your energy level and passion cannot be held back even from Heaven and we feel it today!!

You did indeed fight the good fight and you were the Champion in all of our hearts!!

Rest well!!! I will miss the sight of you rolling up on your bike and hearing your stories, opinions, and feeling that blast of positive inspiration and energy that blew in like a hurricane whenever you appeared!!

We have a lot of work to do here until we meet again!!!

But meet again we certainly shall and I hope by then you can be proud of what we carried forward from your example!

Monday, November 24, 2014

…If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed; ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you (Matthew 17: 20 KJV).

Prayer is, without a doubt, the most powerful force on earth.

It is unlimited and unsurpassed in its scope and power.

Prayer knows no boundaries and is not limited by time or space.

R.A. Torrey very eloquently and powerfully said concerning the power of prayer:

Prayer can do anything God can do.

All that God is and all that God has is at the disposal of prayer.

Through prayer we are transported into the heavenlies where we stand before Almighty God in His glorious majesty, seated upon His Throne.

We are able, through prayer, to tap into the unlimited power of God and take hold of the impossible.

"The vast, unsearchable resources of Heaven are at our disposal through prayer! God has given us "… exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature…" (2 Pet. 1: 4 KJV).

There are approximately 37,000 promises in God's Word!

From Genesis to Revelation, God has given us His promises, which make provision for every need in every area of our lives to be met.

By His promises, God puts all things He possesses into our hands. Prayer and faith put us in possession of this boundless inheritance. -E.M BOUNDS

By His promises, He has placed all things He possesses in our hands.

Prayer and faith enable us to take possession of those promises and appropriate them in our lives.

We can have all that God has!

Prayer can transcend the laws of nature, invade the realm of the dead, and restore life.

Prayer can give instant access to anywhere: into any home, hospital, office, courtroom, prison cell, or any other location desired.

I will never forget when my darling wife, Theresa, was at the point of death. She had been at death's door several times but God healed her.

One day in a Partners' Conference a man came up to us and said, "Theresa, honey, is everything all right?" Theresa answered, "Yes, it is now."

He said, "Well, on such and such a day God woke me up and for three days I prayed and interceded for you."

Those were the three days Theresa had hovered between life and death.

Your prayers can be used by God to impact cities and nations, bring salvation, healing, and deliverance to people in India, Africa, China, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, or any other country.

Through prayer, angels can be brought down to protect you and your family.

Your prayers can go into a hospital operating room and help guide the surgeon's hands and release a flow of God's healing power into a loved one.

God has given us a secret weapon called prayer that gives us access to anywhere in the world!

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

"Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear; rather look at them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them.

He is your Keeper.

He has kept you hitherto.

Will you but hold fast to His dear hand, and He will lead you safely through all things; and, when you cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms.

Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow.

Our Father will either shield you from suffering, or He will give you strength to bear it."

- St Francis De Sales

I absolutely love this passage!!

If we believe this and take it as truth - or better yet, even if we are skeptical and not all the way there yet but willing to give it a try - how can any one of us have an ounce of fear, worry, anxiety or a lack of Peace about anything in our lives?

It is akin to a "Guarantee"!

It is His Promise!!

If you were "guaranteed" that at the end of all our struggles, troubles, and daily strifes that it would all be ok and everything would work out for the best, would that change what you think of and spend your time thinking about?

Would that make a difference in how you wake up or go to bed?

Would it make a difference in your peace, your joy, or your attitude?

Would believing in this promise alter how you approach problems and deal with setbacks, live your life, and interact with people?

Would it change how you are handing a current battle or storm - be it illness, divorce, unemployment, grief, person relationship strife, etc??

How great and easier would life be if we had this type of guarantee??

What would your mind and thoughts consist of when all the worry, uncertainty and fear vanish in an instant?

Well, this in no infomercial but that guarantee exists TODAY!!!!

It is not in writing or in a legal contract anywhere and we really don't have a "Tripadvisor" review site to check it's legitimacy.

However, it does exist and it is real and all we need do is take that Leap of Faith and BELIEVE it for it to take hold!

Friday, November 14, 2014

Even if now for a little while you have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith - being more precious than Gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Although you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your FAITH, the salvation of your souls."

Thursday, November 13, 2014

"Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right. " - Max Lucado

We all struggle at some point with our Faith and with the challenging circumstances that we often find ourselves facing in our daily lives.

For some these life events are not life threatening, earth shattering or life altering in the grand scheme of things.

For others of us the events are devastating and seemingly impossible to overcome.

Whether it is illness, divorce, loss of a job, loss of a loved one or a parent or a child, physical or mental abuse, financial troubles or family strife, we all have our crosses to bear on this earth.

One thing I can guarantee is that no matter what we have weighing on our minds today, there are many that have more serious and difficult challenges to deal with today than we do!!

By way of this comparison we are able to put our own troubles in perspective, but we rarely look past our own worlds to do this.

This is human nature!

If we could truly focus on what we have going for us and the many BLESSINGS we have as opposed to our current concerns, we would quickly be able to shift our worry, fear and anxieties away from panic toward peace and solutions.

What is most important in this practice is that we have Faith that everything will be ok and will work out regardless of our own predetermined belief about it!

It is not always visible to us the path or mission we have been given to fulfill on this earth.

It is sometimes not for us to know or understand why these storms have been placed in our paths at any given time.

But if we can accept the notion that even if WE don't see why things happen to us, or why that door closed to us, or why we have to carry this burden or hardship at this point - if we can somehow accept that there is a VALUE in these challenges and this too shall pass - we will have no other option but Peace and Joy!!

Trust that there are bigger powers than us in motion and if we place our Faith in these forces - namely God - we will find our battles to be much more manageable and find our STRENGTH to be insurmountable in the face of ANY adversity !!!

What we want and what is best for us in the long run are not always necessarily the same thing!!

Believe that God will continue to guide us safely down the path we are on today and if that path has some potholes and challenges along the journey, accept them with Courage, with Hope, and with Faith - but always with Trust!

Monday, November 10, 2014

Your Faith can grow stronger and you can experience God's victorious results when, after giving God the problem, you TRUST him enough to not take it back and bear the full burden of it alone!

Even in times where God is silent or when his answer to your prayer is "no", you can still have faith, hope, trust, and the ASSURANCE that God is in charge, no matter how things may look!

God WANTS to be in charge in your life!

Ask Him to be!

See with the eyes of Faith, face the impossible with TRUST and COURAGE, and have the confidence that God will work on your behalf even if the answer to your prayer does not come exactly as you want it to come!

Certain days it seems like things pile up and pile up on you until you feel like you are at a breaking point.

No matter the size or scope of the challenge on our plate - from marital strife, children issues, divorce, battling illness, coping with deep, personal loss, financial hardship, depression, or work related issues - we all can feel overwhelmed at times!!

We all experience moments of helplessness, hopelessness, uselessness, anxiety loss, fear and desperation --and at times we can feel like we are all ALONE in this universe!

Well Newsflash:

You are NEVER alone!

It is easy for our minds to go immediately to the worst case scenario and isolate ourselves from others when we are in trials and strife!

It is all too easy to rollover in the face of pain and fear!

It is so easy to capitulate and just throw in the cards because fighting seems like too hard of a battle - and a losing cause!

Don't Do It!

Remember - .despite what your earthly mind tells you -you are Never alone!!

The Holy Spirit - The Comforter- waits for you to ask for His help!

That is why He has been given to us by the Lord!

He is ALWAYS with you!! Utilize Him!

It is simple to ask and pray for strength and guidance.

He is the answer to all sincere prayer!!

He is the Comfort we seek in all times of challenge!!

Never despair!

Never fear!

Call upon the Holy Spirit for guidance - fall back on the Faith that you know will never forsake you - and whatever you ask will come to you!

It is His promise!

You will get through this storm and when the sun rises and the cloud have dissipated, you will be all the stronger and more prepared for the next inevitable challenge to come your way!

Don't Quit - Don't lose hope!

The tide has turned in your favor and all you need to do now is stay in the game!

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

"One who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever." - Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

I love this quote as it succinctly hits the entire point and concept of Faith.

I remember as a child trying to prove to my parents that I was maturing and becoming a responsible person and being so aggravated when they would not trust or have faith that I could do a task, or carry out their instructions because of my age.

The same must hold true for God when you think about it.

Here we have our whole religion as Christians based almost entirely on "Faith" that we can trust God has our backs, has a plan based on His will that is best for us, and that He is Our Father who will protect us.

So if we truly believe this, how can any of us waste a single second worrying or anxious about ANYTHING that happens to us during our time on this planet??

How disappointed God must be with us when we discount His protection, His will, His plan for us by making ourselves sick with worry and fear and anxiety as if He is powerless or absent from our troubles!

What an insult that must be to Him!

Next time you find yourself worrying about some challenge or phase or issue in your life, take a second and draw on our Faith that it MUST BE happening for a reason and trust that God has a plan, that He does have our backs, and that to worry or fret over it is a complete waste of time!!

How liberating and freeing is it to KNOW that someone else you can trust will handle this issue??!!!

Pray? ALWAYS!

Worry? No way!!

Why?? Why bother??!

God has our backs even if we cannot see it and as I constantly try to teach my son and daughter, ask yourself, "what is the worst that can come of my current worry"?

The answer is normally more manageable than you may think!!

And we all know that 99% of what we worry about NEVER comes to fruition anyway!

Do you think that is a coincidence?

Stay Strong --- these storms we are experiencing - Loss, depression, financial, illness, employment, divorce - all will surely pass and we will always make it safely to the other side of the lake!

Better for the experience and Stronger for our Faith and Belief in God's CONSTANT Protection and Love!!!

Get your STAY STRONG T-SHIRT!!

These ten great inspirational sayings about life come from diverse cultures and times. These sayings of inspiration represent the thread of enlightenment and compassion that has always run through the greatest among us, and are, to me, the best of the best.

This above all, to thine own self be true.- William Shakespeare

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.- Confucius

Happiness depends upon ourselves.- Aristotle

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.- Lao Tsu

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

All things share the same breath - the beast, the tree, the man... the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports.- Chief Seattle

Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.- Rabindranath Tagore

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.- St Francis of Assisi

There are no facts, only interpretations.- Friedrich Nietzsche

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.- Albert Einstein

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.- George Bernard Shaw

We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come.- Joseph Campbell

The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.- Joseph Campbell

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.- Helen Keller

Life is an exciting business, and most exciting when it is lived for others.- Helen Keller

Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.- Helen Keller

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance. - Anonymous

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.- Confucius

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.- Marie Curie

Life is a long lesson in humility.- James M. Barrie

Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.- William James

Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.- John Lennon

No one knows what he can do until he tries.- Publilius Syrus

As we light a path for others, we naturally light our own way.- Mary Anne Radmacher

There are no facts, only interpretations.- Friedrich Nietzsche

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.- Rabindranath Tagore

To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can perform.- Theodore H. White

Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass... It's about learning how to dance in the rain.- Vivian Green

I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you for that part of me you bring out.- Roy Croft

I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the Spirit.- Kahlil Gibran

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Where there is great love there are always miracles.- Willa Cather

Lord, grant that I might not so much seek to be loved as to love.- St. Francis of Assisi